Notable bird expert and birding guide Simon Thompson will lecture on crows this Tuesday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at the Upstairs Artspace.

The program is in conjunction with the exhibit “Something To Crow About” which features 10 regional artists illustrating the crow in paintings, drawings, prints, woodcuts, woodcarvings, clay sculpture and mixed media.

Thompson will speak informally about the crow – its intelligence, behavior, habitat and mystique. Just how smart are crows? Why do many people dislike them and shoo them out of their yard? Why are artists attracted to crows as subject matter? Thompson will shed light on such questions and much more.

Originally from England, Thompson is co-partner in the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Asheville. A birder his entire life, Thompson leads birding tours all over the world. His syndicated newspaper column about birds appears regularly in the Tryon Daily Bulletin. Tryon residents may remember when Thompson worked at FENCE, conducting birding walks and teaching people about the rich bird life in the Blue Ridge foothills.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. For more information, call 828-859-2828 on Tuesday.